Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad says the US compelled the UN Security Council to impose sanctions against Iran in order to weaken the country and lay the ground for a military attack.

"The world is made to believe once again the lie that Israel's existence is being threatened by a nuclear armed Iran," Mohamad said at the opening of the Breaking the Gaza Siege summit in Kuala Lumpur.

He went on to add that these sanctions were adopted despite the fact that Mohamed ElBaradei, the former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), had repeatedly stated that there is no evidence of Iran pursuing military nuclear program.

Mohamad said that the US followed the same pattern in its previous war against Iraq, and attacked Baghdad after weakening the country by imposing crippling sanctions against it.